Live Blog, 2013 NHL Draft

Posted on June 30, 2013
by Mike Vogel

9:40 PM: The Caps
chose right-handed center Brian Pinho, a product of St. John’s Prep in Massachusetts,
with their sixth-round (174th overall) choice. Pinho is likely
headed to the USHL in 2013-14 and is expected to start his NCAA career at
Providence College in the fall of 2014.

As the 10 p.m. hour approaches, we’re into the seventh round.
Washington has one more choice, the 204th of 211 to be taken
overall.

9:00 PM: The Caps
finally made their fourth choice of the 2013, taking left-handed defenseman
Blake Heinrich with their fifth-round (144th overall) choice.
Heinrich played for Sioux City in the USHL last season. He stands 5-11 and tips
the scales at 194.

According to ISS, Heinrich is a good puck moving defenseman who has
made a verbal commitment to U. of Minnesota-Duluth for the 2013-14 season. He
had three goals and 20 points to go along with 110 penalty minutes in 42 games
for Sioux City in 2012-13.

8:01 PM: Kelowna
(WHL) defenseman Madison Bowey was Washington’s second choice, No. 53 overall.
Bowey is a good two-way defender who likens his game to that of Winnipeg’s Zach
Bogosian. The ISS likens him to Kevin Bieksa. Bowey was ranked anywhere from 22
to 34 by seven different scouting services/media outlets, so getting him at No.
53 is a good value from that standpoint.

Shortly after picking Bowey, the Caps swapped their next three choices
– pick Nos. 84, 114 and 127 – to Winnipeg for the Jets’ No. 61 choice, the
final pick in the second round. The Caps used that choice to take strapping
center Zach Sanford, who played for Middlesex of the EJHL last season. Sanford
will skate for Waterloo in the USHL in 2013-14 and then will attend Boston
College in the fall of 2014. Sanford gets around the ice well for his size and
says he needs to work on the defensive side of the game.

The third round is over now, and we’re heading into the fourth.
Washington’s next pick is at No. 144, late in the fifth round. The Caps also
own choices in the sixth (No. 174) and seventh (No. 204) rounds.

6:43 PM: Less than a
week after his goal in the last minute of Game 6 lifted the Blackhawks to their
second Stanley Cup title in four springs, Dave Bolland is a member of the
Toronto Maple Leafs. Bolland, who was Chicago’s second-round choice (32nd
overall) in 2004, went to the Leafs in exchange for three draft choices.

Big eruption here as the Devils land U.S. development team defenseman
Steve Santini at No. 42. He’s a rugged, physical blueliner and the fans here
seem happy to have him headed to the Garden State. That’s the Devils’ first
pick of the day.

6:35 PM: Montreal
breaks the seal on the goaltenders, taking Zachary Fucale at No. 36. Los
Angeles grabs left wing Valentin Zykov at No. 37, a player many expected to go
in the latter third of the first round. Buffalo chose Minnesota high school
center Connor Hurley at No. 38, and Phoenix trades a pair of later picks to the
Devils for the 39th overall choice. With that pick, the Coyotes
landed center Laurent Dauphin.

Dallas chose London left wing Remi Elie at No. 40, the fourth Knight
to be chosen so far. Elie was ranked between 66 (TSN) and 120 (Red Line
Report).

6:25 PM: We’re into
the second round now. Ian McCoshen to Florida with pick No. 31, a USHL
defenseman from Waterloo. Another
defenseman, Chris Bigras, goes to Colorado at No. 32. The Bolts took left wing
Adam Erne – ranked in the top 15 by some – at No. 33. Swedish center Jacob de
la Rose went to Montreal (pick obtained from Nashville) at No. 34.

And then, a deal at No. 35. Carolina dealt their second-rounder (no.
35) to the Sabres and defenseman Jamie McBain to Buffalo for defenseman Andrej
Sekera. The Canes were in the market for a top four defenseman, and they’re not
easy to come by in the trade market. Looks like they’ve got their man. With the
No. 35 pick, the Sabres took U.S. Development Team center J.T. Compher. He’s
headed to U. of Michigan next season.

6:05 PM: Back
upstairs after chatting briefly with Caps first-round pick Andre Burakowsky.
He’s the son of Robert Burakovsky, longtime Euro league player who had a cup of
coffee (23 games) with the expansion Ottawa Senators. The younger Burakovsky is
a skilled left wing who is an effective puck possession player, though he told
me he needs to work on protecting it more.

Burakovsky played for Malmo in the Swedish-2 league last year, and
it’s unclear at this point whether he intends to remain in Sweden or to come to
this side of the Atlantic and play junior hockey in North America. Burakovsky
was born in Austria while his father was playing there. The son reports that
the elder Burakovsky became emotional upon hearing his son’s name called at No.
23 by Washington.

As to the picks after the Caps and while I was downstairs, let’s
see. Hunter Shinkaruk finally went to
Vancouver at No. 24, so the Canucks pulled a pair of promising forwards out of
the first round. Montreal went for U.S. development team forward Michael
McCarron at No. 25, defenseman Shea Theodore went to Anaheim at No. 26, center
Marko Dano to Columbus at No. 27 and Calgary used its third first-rounder on
left wing Morgan Klimchuk at No. 28. Dallas took Guelph center Jason Dickinson
at No. 29 and the Blackhawks finished out the first by taking feisty Plymouth
pivot Ryan Hartman at No. 30. I like that Hawks pick a lot.

There’s a five-minute respite between rounds one and two. Three hours
were needed to conduct the first round, but as always, the picks will start to
fly fast and furiously from here on out. Updates will be fewer and further
between from here, but there will be more to come as it develops.

5:19 PM: So, the
Flames have taken center Emile Poirier, who likely climbed the charts more than
any other player in the second half of last season. Washington on the clock
now. We’ll see whether they pick or take an extra pick to move down.

5:11 PM: Toronto has
chosen center Frederik Gauthier from Rimouski of the Quebec League. The top
four defenseman and top six forwards are falling fast. If the Caps don’t see
someone they like a lot and believe can become a top four blueliner or a top
six forward, I believe they’ll shop the No. 23 pick. We’re minutes away from
finding out. Calgary is up at No. 22, the second of three Flames first-rounders
in 2013.

5:04 PM: Columbus
chose left wing Kerby Rychel with the No. 19 choice. Rychel is the second NHL
bloodlines pick of the first round; his dad Warren was a longtime and effective
NHL tough guy. A few mock drafts had the Caps taking Rychel at 23. The Jackets took
Rychel with the pick they obtained from the Rangers in the Rick Nash deal.
Detroit has taken 50-goal scorer Anthony Mantha at No. 20. Mantha is a 6-foot-4
left winger from the Quebec League. He is the only first-year draft eligible
player who scored 50 goals in 2012-13.

5:00 PM: The Sharks
were worried enough or were determined enough to deal a second-rounder to move
up two spots in the first round. San Jose landed defenseman Mirco Mueller with
that pick. Columbus on the clock at No. 19, its second pick in the first round.
Then Detroit at 20, Toronto at 21 and Calgary at No. 22 before the Caps make
their first choice – assuming they don’t move down – at No. 23.

4:53 PM: Ottawa tabs
center Curtis Lazar at No. 17. He plays with Edmonton of the WHL. The Red Wings
have traded the No. 18 pick to San Jose for pick Nos. 20 and 58. So the Wings
add a late second-rounder to drop back two spots. I could see the Caps doing
something similar.

4:46 PM: Mentioned
earlier about Buffalo having moved a pair of veteran defenseman at the April
trade deadline, and now the Sabres are restocked there. Buffalo chose London
Knights defenseman Nikita Zadorov at No. 16, the third member of Dale Hunter’s
club to be chosen in the top 16.

Buffalo is in the midst of a rebuild that could see goaltender Ryan
Miller and scoring winger Thomas Vanek shuffling off from Buffalo soon.

4:41 PM: With the
Islanders’ choice of Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman Ryan Pulock at No. 15
overall, we are now halfway through the first round. Still not quite 5 p.m., so
we’re moving along nicely as well. Buffalo is on the clock with its second pick
at No. 16, and Ottawa and Detroit are waiting in the wings.

4:34 PM: Columbus
exercises the first of its three first-rounders on center Alexander Wennberg.
Virtually every scouting service had Wennberg right in the 12-16 ballpark, and
here he goes at No. 14 to Columbus. That’s the last of the picks from teams
that missed the playoffs in 2012-13. Now to the playoff teams, starting with
the New York Islanders at No. 15. There has been some talk of them going for
Quebec League sniper Anthony Mantha here.

4:29 PM: The Jets go
for defenseman Josh Morrissey from Prince Albert of the Western League. There
were a few mock drafts that had the Caps taking him at No. 23. That means we’re
getting to the point of the draft where opinions start to diverge a bit.

4:22 PM: The Coyotes
chose Max Domi at No. 12. Domi is the sound for former NHL tough guy Tie Domi
and the second member of Dale Hunter’s London Knights to go in the first round.

Commissioner Gary Bettman just announced that the Clutterbuck deal
also includes the No. 70 overall pick this year going to Minnesota from the
Isles.

4:16 PM: Philly
ultimately opted for the other behemoth blueliner, Samuel Morin from Rimouski
of the Quebec League. He’s 6-foot-6 and tips the scales at 200. He’s got some
filling out to do. Phoenix, Winnipeg next.

4:09 PM: Dallas
general manager Jim Nill chose Russian forward Valery Nichuskin with his first
choice as the team’s GM, the No. 10 pick overall. Nichuskin was ranked among
the top five by most scouts in terms of pure skill and ability, but signability
and other concerns dropped him to tenth overall. Philadelphia is up next at No.
11 and Phoenix and Winnipeg follow. You have to think Zadorov might be a fit in
Philly. He’s a big blueliner, and that’s how they like them there.

4:04 PM: The Canucks
take center Bo Horvat from Dale Hunter’s London Knights. Max Domi and Nikita
Zadorov are the two other Knights also expected to go in the first round. The
Dallas Stars are on the board at No. 10 now, making the first of their two
picks in the first round. Stars also own No. 29 choice as a result of the
Jaromir Jagr deal.

3:58 PM: Devils GM
Lou Lamoriello just made a big splash and made the local fans very happy when
he dealt the No. 9 pick to Vancouver for goaltender Cory Schneider. Now, New
Jersey has Martin Brodeur’s successor and the Canucks are on the clock at No.
9. That’s a big deal here in Jersey, and in the landscape of the Capitals’
newly woven division, of which New Jersey is also a member.

3:51 PM: Buffalo is
up with the first of two first-rounders; the Sabres will also pick at No. 16.
Buffalo adds a promising defenseman in Rasmus Ristolainen. The Sabres moved two
veteran defensemen – Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr – at the trade deadline,
so this is a good step toward replenishing the blueline cupboard.

New Jersey is up next at No. 9. In using their pick this year, the
Devils have opted to forfeit their first-rounder in 2014. That’s the punishment
for their attempts to circumvent the salary cap with the signing of Ilya
Kovalchuk a couple of summers back.

3:44: Heads up.
The Islanders have obtained rambunctious forward Cal Clutterbuck from Minnesota
in exchange for former 1st rounder Nino Niederreiter. The Caps can
look forward to seeing a lot of Clutterbuck in the upcoming seasons, now that
they dwell in the same division.

As I typed that, the Oilers went right on script and took Darnell
Nurse, nephew of former Skins quarterback Donovan McNabb.

3:40 PM: No surprise
there, Monahan to Calgary. One of many teams that need help up the middle, and
they get it in Monahan. Edmonton is up next. Would they go for Darnell Nurse or
Nikita Zadarov? The Oil is loaded up front, but could use some more talent in
the back.

3:33 PM: Indeed, the
Preds took Jones. And apparently Rutherford wasn’t wowed by any of the offers
he got, so the Canes went ahead and chose Swedish forward Elias Lindholm at No.
5. Now Calgary with the first of its three first rounders, but the Flames are
also thought to be a team that could move. If they opt to use the pick, Sean
Monahan is a good bet to go to the Flames.

3:22 PM: Jonathan
Drouin of Halifax goes to Tampa Bay at No. 3. That leaves defenseman Seth Jones
still on the board, and Nashville GM David Poile has been on record as saying
he’d take Jones No. 1 overall if he had that pick. Poile and the Preds do have
pick No. 4, so I guess we know who goes there.

Now, the question is, what will Carolina do with the No. 5 choice?
Lots of teams wanting to climb up. Canes GM Jim Rutherford has fielded plenty
of calls for the pick. We’re betting he moves it.

3:16 PM: Florida
goes with Alexander Barkov at No. 2. He’s said to be perhaps the most NHL-ready
player in this year’s draft, and the Cats can certainly use the injection of
talent. He’ll join Calder winner Jonathan Huberdeau in Florida.

3:09 PM: Joe Sakic takes the stage along with new Avs
head coach Patrick Roy and Devils fans take advantage of the opportunity to
chant, “Marty’s better!” And the Avs go according to script, taking Nathan
MacKinnon from Halifax. Roy is very familiar with him, having coached in the
QMJHL for years.

Florida is on the clock next, with either Seth Jones or Jonathan
Drouin as the likely pick.

3:03 PM: We’ve got
the first deal of the day, as Pittsburgh sends energy forward Tyler Kennedy to
the San Jose Sharks for a second rounder in 2013. Kennedy is a restricted free
agent, and the Pens have their hands full trying to re-sign Kris Letang and
Pascal Dupuis.

2:52 PM: The league
has just conducted its roll call. Every one of the NHL teams showed up for the
draft. No one overslept and no one missed the bus. All present and accounted
for, and the draft itself will be underway in about 10 minutes.

With all seven rounds being conducted today, it looks as though there
may be a three-minute limit on picks in the first round. It’s usually five
minutes, but the clock on the stage is set at three.

The Colorado Avalanche is on the clock at No. 1 followed by Florida,
Tampa Bay and Nashville in slots 2-4. Carolina is next at No. 5, but plenty of
rumors are swirling around the Canes, who appear more than likely to move that
pick as of now.